Know Thy Selfie

What We’ve Learned from Obama’s Alaska Selfie-Stick Trek So Far

It seemed for a second there, maybe about a year ago, that selfie sticks might just be one of those passing fads, like Pogs or that Draw Something app, where you never really had to confront the trend, if you didn’t want to, and then a few months later, it was sort of just gone. No, instead, selfie sticks have only increased in their cultural prominence over the past months, only become more powerful—so much so that now the president is utilizing one.

President Obama is visiting Alaska this week, to bring attention to climate-change issues, and—like your acquaintance from college who is quite overzealous with his Instagram posting, but whom you can’t bring yourself to unfollow—Obama is really going all-out in documenting his visit.

Obama—who signs off the posts he is responsible for himself with a “-bo” at the end of the caption—hit most of the “I’m on a trip!” Instagram go-to shots.

Even an Instagram novice knows that you gotta start things off with an airplane window shot. (And the president deserves extra points for managing to avoid getting the outline of the window in the shot—not easy to maneuver!)

Then he provided some requisite landscape snaps. While, if these were on your twentysomething cousin’s account, they’d no doubt be accompanied with the raised-hands emoji or a string of exclamation points, Obama optedfor words.

It’s mandatory to pose with some sort of quirky signage in an awkward half-leaning position.

Ahh, here is where the selfie stick comes out to play—for a selfie of the president and Running Wild host Bear Grylls (the two filmed an episode in Alaska together). Grylls’s finger is the sign that there was some in-the-moment adjusting of the camera going on here, adding to the intimacy of the shot. (You can imagine Grylls asking, “Should we take another?,” after the snap and Obama shaking his head, “I think that’ll do just fine, Bear.”) Oh, also, always wise to aim for humor when captioning a selfie.

Another classic—the Artistic Taken from Behind While I Moodily Look Out on the Great Expanses of Nature shot.

The president also utilized the selfie stick to film a video, which should do for selfie sticks what Kim Kardashian did for the selfie.

Rush Limbaugh

Though they never actually played together, America’s schlock-jock laureate and its commander in chief came close when Limbaugh’s biographer got a message through to the president that Rush would be down for a round. The presidential response? “Limbaugh can play with himself.” Score one for the Quipper!

Photo: Official White House photo by Pete Souza.

The Lady Huskies

When the Lady Huskies of the University of Connecticut won the N.C.A.A. National Championship in 2009, they not only capped off another incredible season but also scored a visit to the White House. Once they got there, it appeared they may have left their game somewhere near Hartford. In an impromptu game of PIG against a shirt-and-tie-clad Obama, the Lady Huskies—themselves dressed like extras in My Best Friend’s Wedding—were decimated at the hands of a remorseless Obama. Riding his hot hand all the way to the final G, Obama went three for three while one Lady Husky actually managed to air-ball an attempt from the free-throw line.

Photo: by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

Random Hoosier State Voter

In April 2008, with Indiana’s presidential primary around the corner, then senator Barack Obama chose the most surefire route to the hearts of the Hoosier State’s electorate: a voter-registration drive wherein the winner got to play three on three with Obama himself. At the faceoff, Obama stuffed the stat sheet with at least four buckets, four rebounds, and three assists, though accounts vary. Obama and his teammates—appropriately dubbed Team Hope—thoroughly whooped their opponents, walking away with a 15–5 victory, sealed by Obama’s nonchalant three-pointer from the wing. A portent of his future career, of course.

Clark Kellogg

In April 2010, our nation’s baller-in-chief took to the court for a special game of POTUS—the appropriately rejiggered name for a game of presidential HORSE—with CBS’s Clark Kellogg. The former All-American, who was selected in the first round of the 1982 N.B.A. draft by the Indiana Pacers, jumped to an early lead. Trailing Kellogg by POTU to nothing, Obama proclaimed, “I’m going to come back right now.” And he did. Using his southpaw delivery, Obama swished the next five shots, ending the game of POTUS with a celebratory “Whap!” Incidentally, the first White House whap pronounced since Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton.

The Harlem Globetrotters

When the Harlem Globetrotters visited the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll this year, President Obama slipped away to the courts to try his hand against the fabled team. Unfortunately Obama lost in his preferred game of POTUS after failing to drill a simple foul shot. The president was only further humiliated after being forced to do push-ups as penance.

Rush Limbaugh

Though they never actually played together, America’s schlock-jock laureate and its commander in chief came close when Limbaugh’s biographer got a message through to the president that Rush would be down for a round. The presidential response? “Limbaugh can play with himself.” Score one for the Quipper!

Official White House photo by Pete Souza.

The Lady Huskies

When the Lady Huskies of the University of Connecticut won the N.C.A.A. National Championship in 2009, they not only capped off another incredible season but also scored a visit to the White House. Once they got there, it appeared they may have left their game somewhere near Hartford. In an impromptu game of PIG against a shirt-and-tie-clad Obama, the Lady Huskies—themselves dressed like extras in My Best Friend’s Wedding—were decimated at the hands of a remorseless Obama. Riding his hot hand all the way to the final G, Obama went three for three while one Lady Husky actually managed to air-ball an attempt from the free-throw line.

by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

Random Hoosier State Voter

In April 2008, with Indiana’s presidential primary around the corner, then senator Barack Obama chose the most surefire route to the hearts of the Hoosier State’s electorate: a voter-registration drive wherein the winner got to play three on three with Obama himself. At the faceoff, Obama stuffed the stat sheet with at least four buckets, four rebounds, and three assists, though accounts vary. Obama and his teammates—appropriately dubbed Team Hope—thoroughly whooped their opponents, walking away with a 15–5 victory, sealed by Obama’s nonchalant three-pointer from the wing. A portent of his future career, of course.

Joe Biden and John Kasich

Besides perma-tans and Camel Ultra Lights, Speaker of the House John Boehner also loves hitting the links with his buddies. So in June 2011, when the gridlock in Congress continued to show no signs of abating, what better way for two inveterate smokers to sort out their differences than to play a round of golf? Boehner and Obama (ranked 43rd and 108th respectively in Golf Digest’s Washington Golfers List) took on Joe Biden and John Kasich (29th and unranked) in a winner-takes-all—the all being a $4 pot—match. Biden ended up throwing the match for reasons that are between him and his Delaware bookie. Barack and Boehner, for once, walked away champions.

Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

Clark Kellogg

In April 2010, our nation’s baller-in-chief took to the court for a special game of POTUS—the appropriately rejiggered name for a game of presidential HORSE—with CBS’s Clark Kellogg. The former All-American, who was selected in the first round of the 1982 N.B.A. draft by the Indiana Pacers, jumped to an early lead. Trailing Kellogg by POTU to nothing, Obama proclaimed, “I’m going to come back right now.” And he did. Using his southpaw delivery, Obama swished the next five shots, ending the game of POTUS with a celebratory “Whap!” Incidentally, the first White House whap pronounced since Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton.

The Harlem Globetrotters

When the Harlem Globetrotters visited the White House for the annual Easter Egg Roll this year, President Obama slipped away to the courts to try his hand against the fabled team. Unfortunately Obama lost in his preferred game of POTUS after failing to drill a simple foul shot. The president was only further humiliated after being forced to do push-ups as penance.